One of the country’s most influential thinkers on issues impacting Indigenous cultures, communities and reconciliation in Canada will present a public talk at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) on Dec. 3.
Dr. Niigaan Sinclair will present “Why reconciliation is NOT the right thing to do, it’s the only thing to do” at KPU Surrey as part of the Provost Presents speaker series.
Sinclair is Anishinaabe and a professor of Indigenous Studies at University of Manitoba. He is author of Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre, a collection of essays about Winnipeg, the place he calls “ground zero” of Canada’s future. The book presents solutions for a country he says has forgotten principles of treaty and inclusivity.
Wearing an orange shirt, Sinclair writes in the book, is just the beginning of change. Four other harder and vital steps are necessary: listen, learn, commit and act.
“Listen to Indigenous Peoples when they bravely articulate their own and their family’s experiences of the last 150 years. Listen to the human sides of these stories,” he writes. “We all need to listen more. Really listen. Indigenous Peoples, too.”
The Provost Presents speaker series is organized by Dr. Diane Purvey, Provost and Vice-President, Academic at KPU.
The event takes place on Wednesday, Dec. 3 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Spruce Atrium, KPU Surrey, 12666 72 Ave. A reception and book signing will follow. A limited quantity of complimentary copies of Sinclair’s book will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The event is free and open to the public; guests are asked to register in advance.